Abstract
The study area is located in the old mining district of Linares–La Carolina (southeastern Spain), the largest global producer of lead between 1875 and 1920. The selected environmental liability is the dam of the Federico mine and the waste that was generated during the flotation process. Geophysical techniques were applied along the slope of the dam, specifically ERT and IP. In total, 26 waste samples were taken along the entire slope of the dam, in which a high metal(oid) content was identified, sometimes much higher than the reference levels established by European and regional legislation for contaminated soils. The concentrations of Pb, As, and Ba stood out, with mean values of 4863 mg·kg−1, 89 mg·kg−1, and 794 mg·kg−1, respectively. Univariate and multivariate statistical analysis could characterize the distribution of the contents of the different elements along the slope, defining the associations and dispersion patterns of the metal(oid)s in the interior structure of the mine wastes. With the results of the Pb content (the most abundant metal in mineral paragenesis), a mathematical model was obtained by linear regression that related the variability of this cation with the variation in electrical resistivity and chargeability obtained by geophysical techniques.
Highlights
Planned mining activities and the generation of large volumes of waste can modify the main components of the natural environment, mainly soils and waters, and negatively interact with the environment
This waste is composed of materials mainly from the host rock and metal(oid)s from mineral paragenesis that could not be separated in the flotation process
The electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) technique is a noninvasive method that indirectly measures the resistance contributed by a material to the passage of an electric current, obtaining numerical models in the form of 2D profiles or 3D images of the electrical resistivity values [23,24,25,26]
Summary
Planned mining activities and the generation of large volumes of waste can modify the main components of the natural environment, mainly soils and waters, and negatively interact with the environment. Among the different types of mining waste, the tailings obtained through mineral concentration by the flotation process is of special interest. This waste is composed of materials mainly from the host rock and metal(oid)s from mineral paragenesis that could not be separated in the flotation process. It has a very fine granulometry from the milling process. To evaluate the contaminating potential of these wastes, it is necessary to conduct an internal study of these large structures, considered environmental liabilities [8]
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